By Stephen Tsai

Copyright staradvertiser

A glorious sunrise accompanied a reporter’s easy drive to the University of Hawaii for a football practice.

Looking at the arriving reporter, a player asked: “Why’re you so mad, bruh?”

The resting-Grinch face, also shared by several UH sports fans, apparently is a thing that leads to polar signals.

Mad or tired? Smile line or worry wrinkle? (Fill-in-the-blank) is great, (fill-in-the-blank) sucks kale juice. Trying to read the mood of some UH fans through facial expressions is like interpreting the reaction to a malihini eating li hing lemon peel for the first time.

After heroically rallying the Warriors to a season-opening victory over Stanford, quarterback. Micah Alejado was viewed as Hawaii’s most popular left-hander since Barack Obama. And then four weeks and an foot/ankle-injury recovery later, Alejado endured a three-interception loss to Fresno State. The message boards and call-in lines were abuzz with queries about backup quarterback Luke Weaver’s availability.

Then head coach Timmy Chang restructured the practice schedule, associate head coach Chris Brown blew a whistle 200 times during a practice to initiate cardio-building exercises between plays, and the Warriors defied Colorado’s energy-sapping thin air for a 44-35 road victory against Air Force on Saturday. Alejado’s second 450-yard-plus passing performance in his first five starts set a UH record. The critics were, like, “just kiddin’, Micah.”

Volleyball fence-sitters had a double dose of contradictory feelings last week. Associate head coach Milan Zarkovic left the UH men’s team to join UCLA. Meanwhile, the Rainbow Wahine fell to 5-8 overall and 1-1 in the Big West.

While Zarkovic was considered an innovative strategist and popular mentor, particularly to international players, this has always been head coach Charlie Wade’s program. Wade closes deals in recruiting, shmoozes donors, sets the practice and offseason schedule, and figured out a way to spread the financial equivalent of 4.5 scholarships. The Warriors have the best venue and fan support. The NCAA also has eased restrictions, and the Warriors now will have more equivalency money in the scholarship pool.

With a roster that resembles Straub’s ER sign-in list, the Wahine have struggled, particularly being without three six-rotation starters in Saturday’s loss to UC Davis.

But since being hired as head coach in 2017, Robyn Ah Mow has led the Rainbow Wahine to the NCAA Tournament each season. (The Wahine did not play in 2020 because of the pandemic.) Maybe the replacements emerge, maybe not. At least they’re gaining experience. Maybe the Wahine turn it around, maybe they do not. But there’s always a Big West postseason tournament — their last before moving to the Mountain West next season — to extend the hopes.

Even when contracts have been signed to raze Aloha Stadium and build a replacement, the mood shifts between relief and doubt. Will a seating capacity of 22,500 be enough? Who qualifies for the “affordable” housing that is part of the district’s long-term plans? And will this be another rail?

The answers to the first two are unclear. As for the rail, without a Google search or asking Siri, how many people actually know how we’re personally being charged for the Skyline? It’s not like we’re telling our family: “Sorry, you’ll have to put the cereal box back. We still have to pay for the rail this month.”

Same with the new stadium. The only personal impact is the $20 Heineken (or whatever we’re having in 2029).

Several years ago, there was a story about a company that offered free sodas to employees in the break room. The company noticed there were too many barely sipped cans. They decided to add a value, charging employees a nickel for each soda. Of course, it led to protests.

This season, UH scrapped pay-per-view, and now offers telecasts of football games at no additional charge to Spectrum and Hawaiian Tel subscribers. Inevitably, someone without access will complain. That’s one thing that is easy to tell.